Grasp Your Opportunity! Sean Coghlan, S.J. (November 1992)
In the morning I often stand in the archway near the telephone room, watching the students on the last stage of their journey to school. There is a striking difference in how the students walk and hold themselves. Many, very many in fact, look brisk and cheerful. For the most part they are neatly, even crisply dressed. They seem to have a purpose in their steps and they give the impression that they are looking forward to something. A few, however, look dull, sad and preoccupied. They give the impression of being dispirited and beaten. It saddens me to think that some Wah Yan students may have nothing to look forward to during a day at school.
It is an unfortunate fact of life that praise and blame are not always fairly apportioned in Hong Kong. Students who do well in examinations are sometimes excessively praised. Students who do not get good examination results are often unrealistically blamed. Sufficient allowance is not made for different abilities and interests. In my opinion, any student who works hard is worthy of recognition and admiration. No student need feel bad about coming back to school just because he doesn’t do well in examinations. He can walk briskly back with his head held high if he works to the best of ability. He can be proud of himself. He is a man of honour who can disregard ill informed criticism.
Even though his examination results may not be as ideal as he would like, he learns much that will be crucial to his future happiness and success. Through hard, honest work he learns how to conquer difficulties, at least in part, and how to keep going when the tide is against him. He will find genuine interest in some areas of his studies. This interest will bring him joy and happiness for life.
No student need come to school looking glum and defeated. However, to conquer those nasty feelings, a student must learn to disregard ignorant criticism and he must be hopeful and imaginative.
There is another reason why every student can walk briskly and cheerfully into Wah Yan in the morning. There are more than sufficient opportunities in Wah Yan for every student to achieve success, recognition and happiness. Those opportunities are not confirmed to the academic side of life. Quite honestly the only time I feel frustrated in Wah Yan is when I feel a student has given up. Isn’t it sad that student fail to take the chance to achieve success in some other field which may be as important in their future lives as high examination marks? It must be remembered, though, that I am assuming that a student is making an honourable effort to study.
If a student learns to play a game well, he has something for life. If a student acquires the skill and courage to speak well in public, he is on the way to a successful and rewarding career. If a student experiences satisfaction and peace of mind by serving somebody in need or the intoxication joy if pushing a project through, he has experienced something of incalculable value. If a student learns to love maps or ships on the harbour or the stark beauty of a Chinese poem, he has treasures stored up for life.
I worry that some, just some, just a few students leave Wah Yan without a sense of having achieved enough. That would be one of the very few reasons which might lead me to think Wah Yan had failed. The pain almost changes to anger if I have never seen that student volunteering to do anything for anybody, never taking responsibility, never taking a risk. But then, I ruefully reflect I may have done nothing except criticise that student. I may have never taken any real steps to help him regain his shattered self esteem and self confidence.
We are all human and we all have our bad days. We don’t always feel on top of the world. However, I long to see most of the students most of the time walking perkily across the car part to start another day in Wah Yan.